atrick of light WHOLIVES HERE Russell THE HOUSE A 1960s build WHY WE LOVE IT It contains

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1 atrick of light When Russell Hart and Emer Fitzpatrick visited the house that was to become their futurehomethey were distinctlyunimpressed. But then the sun came out PHOTOGRAPHY mark scott WORDS ben webb right The sofa is by Habitat. The curtains are from Ikea. The painting is by Willy McKeown from the Kerlin Gallery. opposite PaGe The vintage wooden rocking chair is from 20th Century Furniture. The cushion was made by Pippa Blue using vintage fabric from AStór. Russell made the shelves out of birch ply. The fireplace is made from concrete. The solid floor is made from oak. The framed photo is by Russell. The vintage print is from Prague. WHOLIVES HERE Russell Hart and Emer Fitzpatrick, and their three children Eoghan, 7, Alban, 5, and Fionn, 2. THE HOUSE A 1960s build in Galway. WHY WE LOVE IT It contains a fantastic art collection and boasts imaginative use of space and colour. 49

2 ABOVE The main kitchen units were designed and built by the couple out of plywood. The worktop is oak. The stainless steel unit was bought from acatering company. The shelves were designed and built by Russell. The chrome toaster is by Dualit. The wall colour is Inkwell by Colortrend. TOP RIGHT Bright yellow adds acheery spash of colour to the hallway. OPPOSITE PAGE The dining table is afamily heirloom. The chairs are bymarcel Breuer. The pendant is from Urban Outfitters. The bench around the table was built by Emer s father. The bookcase was designed and built by Russell. From the outside, Russell and Emer s house looks utterly ordinary, just one more compact house in atypical 1960s estate. But open the front door, and you are infor aseries of lovely and tasteful surprises. First of all, you are struck by the light and the size it s spacious and airy but look closer and you notice how amagical choice of colour, furniture and objets d arts has conjured up ahome brimming with personality and its own unique style. The dining room has dark chocolate brown walls, which are the perfect backdrop for the couple s paintings and photographs. Homemade shelves high on the wall provide adramatic home for atreasured vinyl collection, while cork floor tiles in the study area make aperfect place to pin up the doodles and artwork of their children. But the house certainly didn t start this way. Russell and Emer, who met while working at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), have cast acreative spell. The house looked very dingy the first time we saw it and it was in very bad condition, Emer recalls. It didn t help that it was a cold and dark day, but Russ suggested we should give it another go. The second viewing was completely different. The couple spent an hour walking through the rooms and gradually avision began to take shape. This time it was a beautiful, bright day and we saw that if we opened up the rooms and put more glass at the back of the house it could be a great space. 50 IMAGE INTERIORS &LIVING NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013

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4 ABOVE The sofa is by Habitat. The curtains are from Ikea. The cushion was made by Pippa Blue using vintage fabric from AStór. The framed artworks are called Joke Poster and Tip Poster by Caner Aslan. TOP RIGHT The wooden model came from an art shop. OPPOSITE PAGE The chair is by Eames. The cork tiles on the wall are the perfect place to pin up postcards and works of art. The floor is oak. The table was second-hand and customised by Russell. The painted stool is from Ikea. Russell and Emer, who run aboutique B&B in Galway called the stop band b at Kilcullen House, demolished the small extension at the back and created anew one. They knocked through many of the internal walls to open out the space and replaced windows with glass doors at the back. Suddenly, light flooded through the house. We wanted to be able to cook, work and play in connected, open spaces, Emer remembers. In a few years time, though, we may put in sliding doors between some of the rooms. When the boys are older and have their friends over we may want to have separate spaces again. The couple follow the principle that form follows function soeverything must first and foremost work well. The kitchen shelves, for example, are open so that when they are cooking it s easy to find herbs and spices. The chunky oak worktop is ideal for chopping on while the stainless steel unit they bought from acatering company can withstand the hottest of pans. We are really enjoying the utilitarian thing, Russell adds. We just picked up a set of steel-legged, powder-coated stools from AStór in Galway. They came from an art college in France and are very well worn. They still have paint marks on them from the students, which we love. The interiors evolved over time. We started with white walls and installed an oak kitchen and floor with the idea that we could paint it later, Emer explains. But we like it as it is now. Welike the way wood ages and all the marks and scratches. 52 IMAGE INTERIORS &LIVING NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013

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6 ABOVE The bed head is an antique and the angle light is from Ikea. The side table was designed and built by Russell out of birch plywood. The wall is painted Inkwell by Colortrend. The throw is from Habitat. Russell agrees. We don t like interiors that are too austere or staged with everything matching, he explains. I love to see people s personality in their home. Our kitchen table is an old family piece and we ve taken a few other antiques from Emer s mother. We have a mix of antiques, different types of artwork, painted charity shop finds as well as Ikea pieces. They are also very happy to make pieces that will do the perfect job. There are Russell s shelves that house his records and a collection of books while Emer s father made a bench around the kitchen table and even knocked up atreehouse in the garden for the boys. Many of the walls are still white, but some carefully chosen ones are quite the opposite olive greens, dark blues and deep browns. Not all the experiments have been a success they painted the kitchen in their old Stoneybatter house a very dark shade of green but it didn t work at all. When it works it s great but you have to find the right place for dark colours, Russell admits. Through trial and error we have found some good walls and spaces for bold colour. It s amazing how much it can make certain objects and artworks stand out. Art is very important to the couple many of their friends are artists and they have built up a substantial collection. They also want their children to grow up surrounded by art, as it has played such alarge part oftheir lives. They often swap the artwork aswell as some of the furniture between their home and the B&B. It keeps things fresh at home and at work, Emer says. Placing an object into anew context can be exciting as you see it in acompletely new way. The couple has really enjoyed updating the interior design of the B&B, formerly known as Kilcullen House, which had been in Emer s family for many years, and continue to add to its contemporary charm. They concede it s very hard work running such ahands-on business while also bringing up three young boys, but believe it is a good lesson for the children to see them working hard for themselves. They also meet fascinating people from all over the world. It s given us avery positive view on people 54 IMAGE INTERIORS &LIVING NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013

7 as more often than not they are open, interesting and kind, Russell says. It s good to be reminded of this on a daily basis. Atour around their cheerful B&B reveals the two houses share the same design characterful DNA. We see the two spaces as going very much hand in hand, Russell says. Again form following function is an underlying ethos it needs to work, but obviously it s nice if it looks good, too! thestopbandb.com LEFT The bed is Mydal, by Ikea. The armchair is from Ikea. The original floorboards are painted in Chemise by Farrow &Ball. The top picture is called Das Jahr by Marlene Reidal. The wall is painted in Drab by Farrow &Ball. ideas to steal Add personality to aroom by painting one wall in adeep shade as it will make artwork and photographs really stand out. Cork tiles are perfect for displaying kids pictures, postcards and other fun mementoes. Let your interiors evolve over time. Customise old pieces of furniture with a lick of paint and new fabric. Check out catering companies for great value items such as a stainless steel island. Open shelving in the kitchen means you keep all handy kitchen accoutrements within easy reach. 55